Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC)

Mission

CREEC's mission is to enhance access to modern types of energy through research, training and consultancy in East Africa.

We are an organisation focusing on four areas: bioenergy (ICS, biogas, gasification and bio-fuels), solar PV, pico-hydro and energy management. We are located at the Faculty of Technology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Organization Type

Academia

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Mr. Karsten Bechtel
karsten@tech.mak.ac.ug

Secondary Contact

Mr. Wim Getkate
wgetkate@creec.or.ug

Address

Faculty of Technology, Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062 Kampala,

Uganda

Website

www.creec.or.ug

Phone

+256-414532008

Fax

+256-414532008

Calling/Fax Instructions

Our Focus

Primary Initiatives, Target Populations, and Scope of Work:

Millenium Science Initiative (MSI): Rural electrification in Uganda - Increasing access to modern types of energy
CREEC has received a grant from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) to do GIS mapping, development of appropriate conversion technologies and business modeling. For this project we aim to implement five pilot plants for data collection: biogas, gasification, bio-fuel, solar PV and pico-hydro. The program is co-financed by the World Bank and the Government of Uganda.

Biomass Energy Initiative Africa (BEIA): production and dissemination of TopLid UpDraft (TLUD) stove in Uganda
CREEC has been awarded a World Bank fund to implement a cookstove dissemination program. In this program we aim at promoting production of the TopLit UpDraft (TLUD) stove technology in Uganda. Key in this project is that the stove will be produced and sold in Uganda by the local tinsmiths and small business entrepreneurs. The project team trains them, provides the new technology which will be continuously improved, monitors the quality and conducts a wide promotion amongst the end users and marketing campaign.

Working in Uganda is particular challenging as Uganda has many different ethnic groups which have different cooking habits, and rather different beliefs e.g. where in one area cooking on biogas produced by human waste is possible, in another it is 100% impossible. Also the source of fuel for cooking differs a lot within the country. It could be charcoal, wood, papyrus, grass, cow dung, etc. Hence it is highly required to adjust the stove technology to the existing conditions. CREEC is aware of this and works closely with local groups together to develop concepts which are welcome by the local communities. We also have the unique advantage to involve students from the different parts of Uganda, and for that matter out of East Africa, in our work.

Market development for improved cooking technologies:

The BEIA project provides us with the challenge to disseminate a new technology, the TLUD stove. It is particularly interesting to get experience in marketing this low interest and low cost technology. We will be keen to share these experiences with all people interested in improved cooking technologies. CREEC has been involved in distribution of solar LED lamps to various communities in Uganda. Through our close cooperation with the private sector and the government we also have an ear to the ground in regards to market required and market trends.

Technology standardization for cooking, heating and ventilation:

CREEC operates a Stove Testing Service, which tests for safety, emissions and energy efficiency. This service provides important data to stove manufactures to improve their design but also informs customers of the advantages of the improved stove. At present Uganda is forming a stove manufactures association with the aim to get a certain standard to Uganda manufactures.

Indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring:

Improvements brought by the ICS in reduction of indoor pollution and fuel savings will be key to a sustainable program. CREEC is collecting data of the as is situation. This will enable us to monitor the improvement realized. Further, do we hope to implement a SMS recording system for each stove sold, which in return allows us to stay in contact with the buyer / user and have an understanding of the distribution of the IC stoves.

Relevant Publications or Studies

None noted

Our Contribution to the Partnership

One of our guiding principles is knowledge sharing and open source information in order to build capacity. Therefore, we are open to work with organizations for project implementation and sharing of our knowledge and experience.